Jon Rahm fired a stunning 62 to open up a three shot lead after day one of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational on a day when the South Africans struggled.
The Spaniard has three Rolex Series victories but is looking for his first World Golf Championships title this week and made a close to perfect start as the event made its first appearance at TPC Southwind.
His bogey free effort equalled the lowest ever opening round in a WGC event and his own lowest ever round on the European Tour, matching his closing 18 holes en route to victory earlier this month at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
American duo Patrick Cantlay and Bubba Watson, Japanese pair Shugo Imahira and Hideki Matsuyama and Australian Cameron Smith were at five under, a shot clear of Englishmen Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter, Swede Alex Noren, Dane Thorbjørn Olesen and Americans Nate Lashley and Andrew Putnam.
The greens may be quicker than the links courses Rahm has been facing in recent weeks but he had no trouble adjusting, missing just once from inside 25 feet as he holed 140 feet and six inches of putts on day one in Memphis.
Justin Harding finished his front nine with three straight bogeys to sit down in 47th place. His 72 was one stroke better than SA’s No 1, Louis Oosthuizen, starting on the back nine, who struggled late with a trio of bogeys from the fifth.
Three birdies and a bogey in the stretch between the 12th and 16th holes appeared to get him somewhat back on track before a double at the penultimate hole. Oosthuizen hit just seven of 14 fairways and eight of 18 greens in regulations in a battling display.
Rahm, who never played the front nine in practise, reaped the rewards of coming in fresh.
The 24-year-old’s schedule was affected by jetlag, so he was quite rightly delighted with his round.
‘It’s not the easiest thing but I just wanted my mind to be fresh,’ he said. ‘We putt on this speed of green so often that we’re used to it – it’s just coming back.
‘I did a little bit of putting after I played nine just to get the feel for them and when I went out there today I felt pretty good about it.
‘That was the key today, holing those putts. I managed to put the ball in positions where the putts didn’t have much break. That’s why I think I was able to make so many, I don’t think I hit a putt where the break was more than a foot.’
WGC-St. Jude Invitational (USA unless stated):
62 – Jon Rahm (ESP)
65 – Cameron Smith (AUS), Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), Shugo Shugo Imahira (JPN), Bubba Watson, Patrick Cantlay
66 – Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN), Alexander Norén (SWE), Nate Lashley (USA), Andrew Putnam, Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Ian Poulter (ENG)
67 – Corey Conners (CAN), Bryson DeChambeau, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose (ENG), Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG)
68 – Poom Saksansin (THA), Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Chez Reavie , Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
69 – Marc Leishman (AUS), Li Haotong (CHN), Lucas Bjerregaard (DEN), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Kang Sung-Hoon (KOR), Henrik Stenson (SWE), Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson, Danny Willett (ENG), Rory McIlroy (NIR)
70 – Adam Scott (AUS), Rafael Cabrera (ESP), Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Matt Kuchar (USA), Kevin Na, Eddie Pepperell (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Paul Casey (ENG)
